Our group is involved in shaping the future of condensed matter and photonics research from theory and experiment to application and exploitation.

We bring together fundamental physics and development of device concepts though measurements and simulations of fundamental structural, optical, electrical, and magnetic processes in organic and inorganic semiconductor, metallic and magnetic nanostructures.

Our research is improving the understanding of:

Our research units

Our activity is structured into five research units:

Light tube

Photonics and Biophotonics

Photonics is of ever increasing importance impacting on a huge range of applications and has 20% of UK based physicists employed in this sector.

Semiconductor device

Quantum Materials and Devices

The fundamental study of quantum mechanical effects in basic materials, photonics, and electronic devices underpins future paradigms such as quantum information processing, quantum cryptography, and future electronics.

Silicon wafers

Nanoscale Science and Technology

The study of phenomena at the nanoscale has lead to new technologies and applications that have profound implications on our everyday lives.

Surface acoustic wave

Theory and Computational Physics

We have a wide range of research activities in the fields of condensed matter theory, classical electrodynamics, photonics and nonliner optics, as well as molecular dynamics and transport phenomena.

Deep etched emitter

Imaging, Sensors and Instrumentation

The work of the instrumentation groups comprises world-leading expertise in cryogenic design, superconducting detector technology, terahertz metamaterial and quasi optics, translated into end user instrument design and fabrication.

Our facilities

The group is equipped with a suite of state-of-the-art laboratories which include:

It also has extensive experimental and theoretical capability including a number of world-leading material, device fabrication and characterisation techniques invented within the group.

We also have close collaborative relationships with the Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS), and the Cardiff Diamond foundry.